Blowing Up a Supply Line of Doctors and Nurses

What do Iran, Venezuela and Cuba have in common?

Yes, the Trump regime has attacked Iran and Venezuela and has threatened to attack Cuba. Yes, Iran, Venezuela and Cuba all are on a list of 19 countries from which immigration to the U.S. is banned in full or in part under an Executive Order from the Trump regime published in the Federal Register last June.

But here’s one commonality you probably didn’t know. The largest number of physicians who emigrated to the U.S. from the 19 countries on the banned country list came from Iran, Venezuela and Cuba. Yeah, that’s right. We dropped bombs, are dropping bombs or are threatening to drop bombs on three nations that help supply the U.S. with doctors.

No one ever said this Trump regime is smart. Well, at least no one who’s not a MAGA cult member.

The stats on doctors (and nurses) emigrating to the U.S. from Iran, Venezuela and Cuba come from a new study in JAMA Network Open.

Three researchers from Harvard and Massachusetts General Hospital wanted to know how many doctors and nurses come to the U.S. from the 19 countries on the banned country list. To find out, they analyzed data from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, American Community Survey, Area Health Resources and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Their study period was 2010 through 2023 for doctors and 2010 through 2022 for nurses.

Here’s what they found:

• The annual number of doctors who emigrated to the U.S. from the banned countries increased from 350 a year in 2010 to 459 a year in 2023.
• The annual number of nurses who emigrated to the U.S. from the banned countries increased from 189 a year in 2020 to 368 a year in 2022.
• The banned countries with the largest number of emigrating physicians over the study period were Iran with 1,772, Venezuela with 918 and Cuba with 807.
• The banned countries with the largest number of nurses over the study period were Cuba with 1,312, Haiti with 665 and Iran with 486.
• In total, the banned countries contributed nearly 24,000 doctors and 56,000 nurses to the U.S. healthcare workforce over the study period.

“The recent complete immigration ban could reduce the physician and nurse workforce in the U.S. and worsen access to care across already underserved communities,” the three researchers said. “Given the current administration’s stance on immigration, a reduced number of clinicians from banned countries is unlikely to be offset by increases from elsewhere, potentially undermining healthcare access.”

If you’re running a hospital, health system or medical practice, voted for Trump, and are having a tough time recruiting a doctor or nurse to a rural location or underserved market, you have only yourself to blame.